Bulls in long line for Timberwolves' Kevin Love

President/coach Flip Saunders will demand much to give up star player with year left on deal but Bulls could make sound offer

June 06, 2014|K.C. Johnson

Taj Gibson fouls Kevin Love during the second half of their game at the United Center. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

Kevin Love will command a maximum salary or, if he takes one for the team in this day and age of a restrictive collective bargaining agreement, slightly less than that when he becomes a free agent next summer. Derrick Rose will make just more than $20 million in 2015-16. How much will Joakim Noah command when he becomes a free agent in 2016?

Such questions are what Bulls management must consider as they explore the forward-center's trade market because it's going to take real assets to win the Love sweepstakes, whether in advance of this month's NBA draft or next February's trade deadline.

Timberwolves President Flip Saunders, who hired himself as coach Friday, estimated in comments to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that 16 teams have called about Love. And, yes, the Bulls are one. But any suggestion an offer has been made or even a determination Love is their main offseason target instead of Carmelo Anthony would be premature.

The Bulls would be negligent not to pull the trigger on a deal involving Carlos Boozer's expiring salary and draft picks, perhaps throw in a rotation player and accept a bad Timberwolves' contract as sweetener. In any case, Saunders will ask for a lot.

Assuming Noah is off the table, how does the price of Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, draft picks and/or the rights to Nikola Mirotic and whatever combination of expiring salaries from the Mike James/Ronnie Brewer type sound? That leaves a core of Rose, Noah and Love with players on rookie scale contracts and minimum salaries filling out the roster.

Is that enough, to satisfy the Timberwolves and for the Bulls to win a title? At less than $9 million annually through 2017, Gibson is exactly the type of productive player on a value contract management historically has valued.

Saunders didn't shed much light on the Love situation at his Friday news conference. But one comment stood out: "We didn't take into consideration what kind of impact (I as coach) would have on any of our players."

Whether this can be read as Saunders not giving Love a say in where he's traded remains to be seen. Chris Paul made it clear where he wouldn't sign extensions before his trade to the Clippers, but teams aren't beholden to that condition.

The Bulls certainly seemed like a team willing to make a big splash this summer when they traded Luol Deng in January to avoid the luxury tax. And management did go all in for free agency in 2010 when Kirk Hinrich was dealt to the Wizards for salary-cap space.

After striking out on the Heat's Big Three, the Bulls settled for Boozer and depth. Perhaps out of habit, it wouldn't be surprising to see a simple amnesty of Boozer and the resulting cap space spent on depth again this summer.